You awaken in the house on the Thistle Palace grounds. Fey servants help you get ready in the morning if you wish.
Aleith|DM: They remind you that the Unseen Court is wishing to speak with you.Garrett‘ accepts the help of the fey servants. Not every day you get that! "Yes, we’re aware of who's roof we slept under," he acknowledges, before gathering with the others.Chandrasekhar accepts the help, of course. He knows who they are and they know who he is!Phyllis does as well, fully expecting to pay it back sometime in the near future. As these things go.
Aleith|DM: When you head to the palace, one of the servants shows you the 'Foreigner Fountain' outside. If you had come straight in yesterday, the act of washing your hands at the fountain would have ended up cleaning everything you wore.
Phyllis: Her eyes are brimming with maddened thoughts anew, reinvigorated from the rest. She's had quite a while to think.
Gerald: "Oh, that's … handy."
Aleith|DM: Outside the entrance on the eastern side of the palace, a few rangale stand guard outside: armoured stags with a human face, levitating bows beside them.
Garrett: "Hah. I get it."
Aleith|DM: A brownie greets you as you enter. "I'm Binniwich. I'll show you inside to the Runaround and the Court."
Garrett: "It's appreciated. I'm Garrett."
Phyllis: "Is that where the solving needs doing?"
Binniwich: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Constables. It's wonderful that you've come to help the Court.
Gerald: "Yes, that's definitely why we're here."
Aleith|DM: As the brownie floats in front of you, they lead you into some corridors.
Binniwich: "Well, I know you'd like to go back to your wonderful country soon, so we'll just have to hope you can solve the crime!"
Gerald: "I do enjoy solving crimes.:
Phyllis: "Are you familiar with those cheap novels that get pumped out by the dozen? Those crime thrillers where a genius detective protagonist walks in, keenly observes the room, and floors everyone with how raipdly and accurately they form their theories?"
Phyllis: "A mere author's ploy. A contrivance of the writer."
Binniwich: "I can't say I am, though they must be a joy to read."
Gerald: "They're pretty entertaining yeah."
Aleith|DM: After you turn the corner, in an adjacent room you see a mask of ice above a dress of snow emerging from a trapdoor. Atsla the Ice notices all of you, then nods to the brownie in a clear dismissal. Closing the trapdoor behind her, she moves into the corridor and gestures for you to follow her.
Binniwich: "Bye Constables! It was nice meeting you!"Phyllis shrugs carelessly. "Let's be authors."
Garrett: "Our ploys are usually straightforward and scrutable, though."Gerald‘ waves to the brownie while looking up the wintery apperition up and down.
Phyllis: "Maybe yours are."Phyllis gives a bow to Atsla.
Aleith|DM: She nods back.
Garrett: "That’s why I'm glad you're around!" He follows Atsla.Chandrasekhar bows, rather elaborately, to Atsla, as is proper.
Phyllis: What is there to say?
Aleith|DM: A couple of right turns later, the quiet is broken as a figure in heavy black cloaks, a black cowl, and a charred stone mask with seams of glowing lava, and various firegems adorning the clothing and several rings on invisible fingers.
Aleith|DM: He blows Atsla a kiss, who heads off in a different direction. "So, you're the constables I take it? I'm Karrest the Fire, but you can call me 'milord'."
Gerald: To Chandra: "…Are they all, uh, themed?"
Phyllis: "Aren't you?"Chandrasekhar gives more of a fierce salute, this time, than a bow. "We're here to solve your problems, yes. And then the rest of the world's. So, let's hurry, shall we?" A smile. Not -scornful-. Managing to still be respectful. But aggressive.
Karrest: "Ah, yes, Chandrasekhar. I knew I liked you. Say, have you heard from Asrabey Varal?"Gerald‘ gives Phyllis a confused look.
Chandrasekhar: "One might say we’ve kept in touch."Phyllis gives Gerald the finger-guns.
Karrest: "What's he up to? We haven't heard from him since that Ekossigan mess. Thank you for assisting with that, by the way."
Gerald: "…Hmm… actually it probably wouldn't be hard to put a gun in the boots… on the hat might be kind of awkward though…"Chandrasekhar grins dangerously. "He interfered in our country at his own peril. Anyways, I wouldn't worry about Asrabey. Cats land on their feet."
Phyllis: "It wasn't any trouble." She extends a Mage Hand. "Phyllis Lenz, yours truly, handled the portals for a quick evacuation."
Karrest: "Ha!" He shakes the translucent hand. "Nice trick."
Phyllis: "Plenty more."
Chandrasekhar: "She's not kidding."
Garrett: "Garrett Woodson." He extends a regular handshake. "Hopefully you've not heard of me."
Karrest: "Hopefully you can find out what happened with Rock. While I never liked the man-he flirted with Atsla, after all, and bragged about fighting more than he ever actually dusted his knuckles."
Karrest: "While I'm glad the man is dead, I feel slighted that Olazdor and the Hedgehog Court stole a kill that I wanted. I hope you find Olazdor guilty, and give me an opportunity to dispence justice in an honourable duel with him."Phyllis waits for another clause that sounds like it follows - oh, there it is.
Garrett: "Rock was a unique individual, and no doubt the truth will be something absurd and needlessly grandiose."Chandrasekhar laughs. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be pleased to watch that fight. We shall see what we shall see."
Karrest: "You're probably right about that. He fit right in here that way." He sighs.
Garrett: "The guy you love to hate?" he asks, teasingly.
Aleith|DM: A voice from a nearby room cuts in, "even fools like Rackus can bring wisdom by giving us a mirror to compare ourselves to." Into the hallway steps a mound of mossy and moldy clothes dotted with mushrooms. A mask of brittle cracked turquoise hangs low beneath the figure's shoulders, and vivid blue frogs occasionally crawl across or through its cloak.
Furg: "Karrest, let Thisraldion know the guests are coming." Turning to face you, he speaks again. "I am Furg, the Toadstool Sage. Accompany me a moment, will you?"
Phyllis: "Gladly, after a remark like that."Chandrasekhar bows, again, courteously. "Certainly." It's not like one has to walk terribly quickly to keep up, and there -will- be words of wisdom dispensed…
Garrett: "We're certainly changing dance partners often, this morning."
Aleith|DM: He leads you around another turn in the corridor to a window on the south side…that's strange. You've turned right several times at this point…
Aleith|DM: Outside, you can see a garden with several statues in it-each one represents one of the Fey Titans.Furg moves to a nearby bookshelf and pulls out a book. He then presents it to Phyllis. "This is the original Book of Kelland, which reveals how the foolishness of the fey titans led to creating the first human king."
Furg: "Fools are useful, because the wise and clever ones can use them to step up to greatness.
Garrett: "A dark chapter in the history of the world."Phyllis tilts her head and holds it, staring at the cover in disbelief that she's holding such a tome.Chandrasekhar just… watches. He doesn't seem fazed by the strange geometry. This IS called the Runaround, after all.Phyllis thumbs through. "… I'll need to peruse this later, but."
Phyllis: "Why?"
Phyllis: Give her this, she means, though she's still too fazed to articulate it.Furg's figure shrugs. "Thislraldion thinks there might be a new King in Risur soon, and all you could probably use the help."Garrett‘ just gives a sideways look at the party.
Chandrasekhar: "It’s not going to bite you, my friend."Phyllis nods. "Something along those lines. The help is appreciated."
Aleith|DM: An ash tree just outside the window rustles with unusual intensity, and you spot a mask—and just a mask, composed of tree bark framed with feathers—floating over from the Grand Lawn. Sallin the Dryad's passage is marked by flowers and grass blooming with each of her steps, but she is naked save for her mask.
Aleith|DM: When she gets close to the window, Furg waves to her, and she nods back. The tree outside dips and stretches its branches, creating a seat which the invisible Sallin climbs into. Then the entire tree uproots itself and walks through the window as if the glass weren't there.
Aleith|DM: Sallin stops her tree steed and chuckles like a cheery old grandmother when she sees the party. "So many weapons," she chides. "I keep tryin' t'keep our youngsters alive, and people like you keep choppin' 'eir 'eads off. Shame I couldn't help poor Rock, but maybe I can help you little lost children."
Aleith|DM: The building casually makes room for Sallin's massive tree.
Gerald: "I've never got anyone that didn't give me ample reason to after ignoring pleanty of warnings."Garrett‘ raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaises his eyebrows, and then casually lowers them.
Gerald: "Really, you could say they’re asking me to do it by the time it gets to that point."Chandrasekhar bows, again, struggling to keep an amused smile off his face. "We with weapons do share your wish for peace- but sometimes, peace must be defended. With words or swords. I do prefer words."Phyllis glances at Gerald, then turns to Sallin with a shrug. "That's his approach, but I tend to just send our foes to sleep and otherwise incapacitate them with other charms."
Sallin: "If you say so, dearie. I'm Sallin. Let me show you to the Unseen Court's Chamber."
Garrett: "Our direct bodycount is very low, thank you very much."
Aleith|DM: The chamber isn't very far, just past the corner on at the end of this corridor.
Aleith|DM: The four fey lords gather in the Chamber of the Unseen Court and take their seats around Thisraldion's throne. The fey monarch sits twirling an unsheathed vorpal longsword when you arrive, making snickersnack sounds as it slices the air.
Aleith|DM: A spare chair sits unoccupied.Garrett‘ studies the spare chair from a distance.
Thisraldion: "Welcome, welcome, Constables. Be at peace while you are here. I am Thisraldion, monarch of the Unseen Court. Now, tell me: have you had breakfast yet?"
Garrett: "Of that a tree dines, though not our usual palette."
Phyllis: "I have not."
Thisraldion: "Then, shall we break our fast out on the lawn while we discuss business?"
Gerald: "Sure."
Garrett: "It’s appreciated."
Aleith|DM: The entire court heads out to the Grand Lawn, south of the palace, amidst the numerous tents dotting the lawn, filled with injured fey returned from the ongoing batttles. Sallin was looking in on some of them this morning before she joined you in the Runabout.
Aleith|DM: A large table is setup, with Thisraldion at the head and the four lord and ladies on the one side. One seat is left empty on that side, while another 5 are setup across from them, and one at the far end.Garrett‘ takes a seat at an empty chair of the 5, inconspiciously straying away from the noted empty chairs the narration is arranging.Phyllis takes a seat next to Garrett, similar sensitive to meta-narrative mentions.
Aleith|DM: Once you’re all seated, Thisraldion continues. "We, the Unseen Court, will find you a route back to the Waking in exchange for finding the one responsible for the murder of Rock Rackus." The monarch weeps a bit. "Never has one of the Unseen loved a mortal so intensely. And the folk of the Dreaming loved him too. Olazdor and the Hedgehog Court must pay as the ones responsible."
Thisraldion: "If there is to be a new king in Risur, there are few acts that could earn more favor among the fey than to bring justice to the hero Rock Rackus’s been since he came here."
Phyllis: Thisraldion. Is that the one she saw in those object readings of Rock's gun forever ago?
Gerald: "So… you're familiar with parts of the Ob's plans, then?"
Garrett: "Even if there isn't a new king, long live the old king, we'd wish for the fey's favor as well. Though needless to say, this isn't the first time Rock's gotten himself into a bothersome spot, so… where to start but the beginning?"
Thisraldion: "Shadows have been moving strangely around the palace, and I can sense that hostiles are gathering in the Bleak Gate. We would gladly help defend Risur's king if the old pacts were invoked, but it seems the humans do not know how to contact us."Karrest growls, "it's more important to defeat the Hedgehog Court."
Sallin: "Solving the murder will do that."
Karrest: "Err, by 'defeat' I mean 'kill'. Making peace bores me."
Aleith|DM: He turns towards you all to explain, "sadly fey law forbids the leaders of the two factions from joining battle until our underlings have had a chance to settle things."
Phyllis: "But 'settle things' at least means 'making peace,' yes?"
Chandrasekhar: "Humans will learn, or remember, that which they need to, when the time is right." An enigmatic smile.
Aleith|DM: Karrest laughs. No, you don't think that's what he meant at all.Thisraldion suddenly appears in the empty chair at the other end. "No, my dear fellow wants a more 'decisive' ending to things. Much like the edge of my blade."
Phyllis: "Either way. Your history with the Hedgehog Court aside, why name them as the perpetrators from the start?"
Phyllis: "We must examine all possibilities. Might there not a be a third party that intends to sow discord among you?"Thisraldion wipes away a lingering tear from their mask. "Rock was found dead with an arrow through his heart in the middle of Krog Tunnel on the 16th. Now, his head may have been removed, but in no way would I kill the man. Even if he was spending time with the Hedgehog Court too."
Phyllis: "Is the crime scene at least intact?"
Thisraldion: "It's been a few weeks, so unfortunately not. It might still be worth checking out. His body was recently buried at the Mosscat Mortuary, and a couple of things that were found at the scene are there."
Phyllis: "And what of the arrow?"Phyllis glances over at Garrett expectantly.
Thisraldion: "One of the effects at the Mortuary."
Garrett: "I highly, highly doubt it. But if something's amiss, I'll be sure to notice."
Phyllis: "Leave no stone unturned."
Garrett: "It -would- be rather Rackus to linger on after his own death, for weeks, lamenting loves not completed."
Phyllis: "… his effects linger, at least."
Gerald: "Did uh, anyone ever find his head on thta note?"Thisraldion sheds another tear. "It was right beside his body, and has been buried as well."
Gerald: "Aha."
Gerald: "And… what are we currently assuming the motive for killing Rock was, exactly?"
Chandrasekhar: "If I were the Hedgehog Court… spite. A weapon with which to strike at the Unseen. Another pawn in the game, as it were. The story there writes itself. Possibly too smoothly, even." There, he was paranoid so Phyllis didn't have to be.
Thisraldion: "Ah, but investigating motives is one of the reasons we've asked you to help. You could probably find out more at the Hedgehog Court. He visited them quite a bit, as well."
Garrett: "Right. We are in fact, investigating motives, right now."
Phyllis: "A spurned lover, jealous that our monarch here had his heart captive."
Phyllis: "It's just a thought."
Phyllis: "Anyway. Shall we be off? To the Mortuary first, possibly?"
Garrett: "It's a good next step," he says, while standing.Gerald‘ salutes.
Aleith|DM: Binniwich the brownie shows up again. "Riffian, captain of the Great Hunt, approaches!"
Aleith|DM: The giant of a man strides in, dressed in mithral plate, with silver antlers atop his helm and a bullet hole in the breastplate over his heart.Gerald` gives a wave.
Aleith|DM: He turns to Thisraldion and kneels. "Forgive me, my lady, for failing in my hunt yesterday. I promise I’ll catch that blasted fox soon enough. The only explanation I can give you is that people keep getting in my way." His voice reverberates jollily through his helmet, which he doesn't remove.
Aleith|DM: He stands and gives the constables a bold 'huzzah'. "I recognize you from yesterday. Good to see you didn't get in our way yesterday."Phyllis glances over at Karrest and nods, mouthing 'portals'.
Riffian: "I won't hold it against you if you were Rock Rackus's friends. I thought that guy was an idiot."
Gerald: "I'm pretty sure everyone but Rock thought Rock was an idiot."
Garrett: "We did clear his name and bail him out of jail, but 'friends'…"
Riffian: "Wait, I'm interrupting politics, aren't I? I also hate politics. Farewell, lords and ladies! I hope not to run into you folks in the Chessboard Forest again!"Garrett‘ stands with his feet a shoulder’s width apart, hands on his hips. "We're friends of justice."Chandrasekhar smiles. Not laughs, for Thisraldion's sake. "I imagine many of his friends felt the same way. Regardless- ahh, wind's speed, ser."
Aleith|DM: Some of the Unseen Court members laugh as he departs.
Furg: "We told Riffian a fox had killed one of Thisraldion's favourite hens, and ever since we've been using him and the whole Great Hunt in battle by luring them around with various foxes."Sallin sighs.Garrett‘ snorts and shakes his head. "Can’t argue with the results too much…?"
Garrett: "Especially since they're funny."
Karrest: "The deadline's noon tomorrow, so we hope your sleuthing skills are as good as Rock made them out to be." He gives you directions to the Hedgehog Court.
Garrett: "(Hell, I think we're skipping lunch.)"Phyllis quirks an eyebrow at Furg. It's not a good sign when the people asking you to solve a murder also have a habit of sending others on wild fox chases.
Gerald: "Oh… we get a whole day to solve a months old murder in an unfamiliar city… okay."
Chandrasekhar: "No pressure."
Gerald: "Guess we should get to it then."
Aleith|DM: Where to? The mortuarty?
Gerald: Aye aye
[OOC] Garrett: yesPhyllis looks like she'd have a visible stormcloud over her head if her face became any more dour. Flip this on its head: the case is a sham. They're just trying to buy time for something to happen on the other side. This is another fox to chase.
Aleith|DM: Your ettercap guide, still free of his angora sweater, guides you west of the city, though Chandra has to calmly settle down several drunk gnomes as you take a shortcut through an alleyway.Phyllis doesn't let these thoughts go said aloud. At least, not yet.
Gerald: "What was the deal with the guy with the sword?"
Phyllis: "Rock's ex, I presume."
Aleith|DM: Outside of the city, Mista Nyves leads you near an idyllic flowered cemetery. The chery Mosscat Mortuary has plenty of tall windows to let in light, which feets the staff: intelligent cat-like plant creatures made of moss.
Garrett: "Not quite a guy. Quite a looker, though."
Garrett: "I mean…" He shakes his head.
Gerald: "Close enough for fey."Garrett‘ makes a meandering, noncomittal noise that leads into "-yyyyyyyyyy well."
Chandrasekhar: "The… oh! The monarch, yes."
Aleith|DM: An green-haired elf meets you at the counter. "Can I help you folks? We don’t get many humans around here."
Garrett: "We're looking for, well, probably the previous human you admitted."
Garrett: "Rock Rackus."
Phyllis: "You had one earlier. Rock Rackus?"
Elf: "Oh, him? We just finished burying him."
Phyllis: "The Unseen Court's asked us to do some investigating behind his murder."
Phyllis: "… It's been over a month since his death, hasn't it?"
Phyllis: "But you just finished now."
Chandrasekhar: "You can't rush genius, Phyllis."
Elf: "Just over three weeks ago, I think? He's had gentle repose cast on him, and he was on display until recently."
Garrett: "Are you sure, Chandra, we only have until noon tomorrow."
Gerald: "Aha."
Gerald: "Was there anything unusual about the body?"
Phyllis: "So the body's been preserved?" She looks over at Ernst. Enough for an autopsy?
Aleith|DM: The elf shrugs. "His head was cut off. And someone shot in the heart with an arrow. Not sure which order."
Elf: "He's otherwise intact. We cleaned him for the burial but he wasn't embalmed."
Aleith|DM: She sighs. "You want to exhume him, dont you?"
Gerald: "We don't reeeeally have a lot of work off of at the moment so it'd be helpful."
Phyllis: "Again. Unseen Court. We can take care of the laborous parts, though."
Elf: "Well, if you're going to be here for a while, then call me Desulie. If you don't mind waiting, it'll probably be a few hours before I can get approval and get the gravediggers back out here. Otherwise, have at it…? We'll bill the Court for the reburial anyway."
Gerald: "Ugh."
Phyllis: "Oh! Please, I can assist with the digging up and reburial."
Garrett: "Where is he buried?"
Gerald: "I always thought my first trip to the dreaming would involve a LOT more exotic drugs and a LOT less digging up dead bodies…"
Desulie: "I can show you the plot."
Garrett: "If you would, please."
Aleith|DM: As she walks around the counter, she bumps into Ernst, then hisses at him. "You and your-your spinny gears!"
Desulie: "Err, sorry about that. It's hard on the ears."
Chandrasekhar: "I can fix you up, Gerald, but I'd assumed you'd want your wits about you."
[OOC] Garrett: * ernst and stocke flatten their ears against their heads, sadlyChandrasekhar nods sympathetically to Desulie. "You get used to it somewhat, eventually."Phyllis follows behind Desulie. "Sorry about him."
Gerald: "I reckon there's decent odds we're gunna need to bury more than Rock's dead body by the time this is over, yeah."
Aleith|DM: As she shows you to the plots, a couple of the other mosscats bring over the other items that were found by Rock—a half-empty bottle of liquor, and the arrow that was embedded in his chest.
Delusie: "Thank meow," she says to the two helpers. "These were found by—or in—the body."Gerald‘ takes a whiff of the bottle before passing it to Garrett with a ’does that smell weirde to you' look.
Aleith|DM: Heal check?Garrett‘ wafts.Garrett` rolled 1d20+11 and got 3 ( Total: 14 ) for lmaoGerald` rolled d20+15 and got 17 ( Total: 32 )
Aleith|DM: There’s a soporific poison in the bottle.
Gerald: "Oh fuck I'm glad I opted to sniff that and not take a swig."Phyllis looks down at the dirt and commands it to part. [Pathos of the Inanimate]
Delusie: "Well. That's convenient."
Phyllis: "We don't have hours."
Phyllis: "Ernst. Care to give the body and head an autopsy?"
Aleith|DM: She's a bit gobsmacked.Gerald‘ will lets Zane handle the, uh, particulars of sorting out WHICH type or poison it was exactly.
Garrett: "Thanks." He crouches by the grave and gives the body a look over, though clearly with just his eyes and not opening it up and such.Aleith|DM rolled d20+17 and got 2 ( Total: 19 ) for Ernst’s HealAleith|DM rolled d20+11 and got 13 ( Total: 24 ) for Zane's Arcana
Aleith|DM: Zane determines that the liquor was tainted with the spittle of an obscure fey known as the Borenbog.
Aleith|DM: Ernst can tell that the arrow wound in Rock's chest was not fatal. It did not reach his heart, and indeed only went in fairly shallowly. The wound to the neck required two strikes.
Gerald: "Chan, you know anyone that can track down obscure poisons?"
Phyllis: "Can you glean anything Garrett?"
Aleith|DM: Checking over the entire body, Ernst finds it unusual that Rock's hands and feet don't have any calluses, nor any scars or signs of ever having suffered injury other than the two killing(?) blows.Phyllis stares at the body, then tries to determine if, in fact, it's actually under the effect of Gentle Repose. (Arcana?)
Aleith|DM: It is.
Mista Nyves: "A borenbog you said? I heard there's one hanging out at the Headless Human."
Mista Nyves: "Don't look at me like that. It's a bar."
Gerald: "Stands to reason, you couldn't fit too many people into an actual headless human."Phyllis sees what else she can glean from the body, like, maybe the head and body don't match. Or something. Honestly, just another set of eyes. [Heal?]
Aleith|DM: Sure.Phyllis rolled d20+14 and got 15 ( Total: 29.0 )Chandrasekhar glances at Gerald, frowns, shakes his head. "More Mr. Bieito's expertise than mine- although it sounds like we've got a lead after all."
Aleith|DM: Alright. The head's definitely a match—the wounds line up on both sides. However, you determine that the amount of blood still in the body indicates that the heart wasn't beating at the time of death.
Gerald: "What's a uh, borenbog look like?"
Aleith|DM: Zane determines that the poison wouldn't kill someone, but just make them drowsy and lazy.
Phyllis: "So nothing here, at least, was the murder method."
Phyllis: "Not the exact thing, at least."
Aleith|DM: The Borenbog is a dour, grumpy creature who is jealously protective of his drink. He hates being bothered and normally only leaves his boggy hut to hunt or steal alcohol. Some say that the Borenbog and his rotting swamp first held the secret of fermentation, which was stolen by dwarves, men, elves, or whoever is telling the tale. It is for this reason that the Borenbog hates the civilized races, and terrorizes any he comes across who have alcohol.
Chandrasekhar: "Well, these points of data don't make a line whatsoever. Don't suppose anyone knows a ritual to tell if his heart was stopped by magic?"
Gerald: "Definitely not it."
[OOC] Phyllis: Arcana] to answer Chandra, at least?
Aleith|DM: Sure, roll it.Phyllis rolled d20+30 and got 6 ( Total: 36.0 )
Aleith|DM: Hmmm. It's kind of odd, but no, you don't think magic caused the death either.
Garrett: "There's no soul…"Garrett‘ stands. "But we could definitely spend a bit of time searching the scene of the crime."
Chandrasekhar: "As in… like… it flew off to crazy docker heaven or there wasn’t- oh. Yeah, that's probably a good plan."Garrett‘ gives a pained smile to Chandrasekhar. "It might have. Although I guess the best-case scenario is someone might have… bottled his soul and is keeping it for reasons?"
Gerald: "We can check out the drunk after you figure out what went down, yeah."Phyllis nods, then turns to Desulie. "Shall I wrap him up again?"
Desulie: "Uh, sure, if you would be so kind. I’ll make a note of the visit in the logs but maybe not letting the gravediggers know… Let me kneow if you need to take another look."
Desulie: "What about the arrow and the bottle?"
Garrett: "Yeah, we don't want the gravedigger union on our ass."Phyllis commands the dirt to close up again. [Pathos of the Inanimate]
Aleith|DM: It's almost like watching water flow downward to pool into the grave.
Gerald: "We'll hold onto the evidence for now, I think."
Phyllis: "I think we've figured out their significance, but it couldn't hurt to keep them with us, could it?"Gerald‘ nods. "Just in case."Desulie sighs. "Alright." She taps her index fingers together. "I was kinda hoping to sell the bottle as a relic of Rock… Let me kneow if you’re done with it?"
Garrett: "You'll likely have it back in a day or so."
Gerald: "Would someone reason want to buy a bottle of poison that killed a lege - actually now that I'm saying it out loud the answer is definitely yes."
[OOC] Gerald: -reason +really
Desulie: "Alright. Good luck!"
Phyllis: " - Actually. It probably isn't a good idea to approach a Borenbog with a bottle, is it?"
Garrett: "He'd try to pilfer it and there'd be a fight and then it'd be a HUGE MESS and we'd be famous."
Gerald: "I can't imagine he's going to fly into a berserker rage to get a bottle of booze heavily diluted with his own spit."
Gerald: "…And if he does that'll just get his attention quicker."
Phyllis: "If you say so."
Garrett: "He's stop #3 at least."
Aleith|DM: The Krog Tunnel is about a mile away from Thistle Palace, three hundreed feet long. It takes its name from its elbow shape, and although someone who passes through it only ever sees two ends, it actually has three, making a sort of Y shape if charted on a map. Depending on how you enter—on foot, in a carriage, alone, in a group, singing a song, carrying a toad, etc.—the tunnel may decide to bend and deposit you in either of the other two exits. You only see the people who are taking the same path you are, though if you enter in a group people tend to stick together. Regardless of which way you go, though, the tunnel always seems straight when you go through it.
Aleith|DM: Each end is capped with stone buttresses, which are perpetually coated in graffiti proclaiming whichever group in the neighborhood is in ascendancy, whether they be criminal, cultural, or culinary.
Aleith|DM: Inside the tunnel, which has a fifteen foot high ceiling, the graffiti currently has a major ‘night sky’ motif, though the stars have been replaced with gears, a few of which grind together, spraying blood across the heavens as they crush small creatures.
Aleith|DM: You hear that a group plans in the next few days to add a massive likeness of Rock Rackus to the tunnel to commemorate him at the spot where his body was found.
Phyllis: "It's almost like they're memorializing him as a saint or god, like the Clergy treat theirs."
Aleith|DM: Rock's body was found in the middle of the tunnel.
Gerald: "The dreaming is complete bullshit."Chandrasekhar just laughs at Gerald.Phyllis looks up at the ceiling and peers at the gears. That … isn't funny.
Gerald: "Also uh, that's… kind of fucked up, right? Not some delightful fey modern art stuff, right?" He points up at the gears.
Garrett: "-Very- interesting." He makes his way toward's Rock's dying spot, and looks around, gauging any surrounding fey, trying to sense if they're Rock Rackus fans. He Rackus-signals by studying the spot where he died…
Aleith|DM: There isn't anybody in the tunnel right now.
Garrett: "(Nuts, I'll just have to do this the hard way.)"
Aleith|DM: Enough traffic has passed through here to ruin normal crime scene investigations, but you spot odd strands of spider webbing dangling directly over where the body was found.Phyllis is A Fan.
Chandrasekhar: "Someone's a skyseer with a sick sense of humour."Garrett‘ realizes what the fuck he’s staring at, then lets out an exhasperated sigh while shaking his head.
Phyllis: "How else do you think those meteors up north got ground into dust?"
Garrett: "Okay, give me like, 5 minutes." He stands about where Rock died, and looks up to the tunnel… [Urban Bond]
Aleith|DM: Arcana check?Garrett‘ rolled 1d20+20 and got 7 ( Total: 27 ) for secrets of the city
Aleith|DM: What 3 images would you like to see?
[OOC] Garrett: Rock Rackus dying, first
Aleith|DM: You get a bit of static in the image as you see two overlapping images, one of Thisraldion hacking at Rock’s neck with his sword, the other of a headless man with an owl mask holding a bow as if he just fired it as an arrow (shallowly) pierces Rock's headless body.
[OOC] Aleith|DM: whoops I have that mixed up, arrow first, then Thisraldion hacks off the head of Rock's arrow-pierced body
Garrett: "…Ernst said that the arrow wound couldn't have killed him, right?"
Gerald: "Didn't go deep enough, and that poison was slowly down the blood flow, yeah."
[OOC] Aleith|DM: He never said the poison slowed down the blood flow.Garrett‘ crosses his arms and thinks to his fellow constables. . o O (Well… a headless man in an owl mask shot Rock with an arrow. But also, Thisraldion hacked off Rock’s head.)
[OOC] Gerald: im assuming that at the moment yes
Phyllis: "The heart wasn't beating at the time of death, at least."
Aleith|DM: Next image?Gerald‘ .oO( Boy, is she going to be mad when we tell her that. )
Phyllis: "Don’t know if that's because of the poison or not, but there's that."Garrett‘ scrunches up his face. [Rock’s entrypoint into the Krog Tunnel]Garrett‘ . o O (It occured in that order, too. Rock got shot first, then hacked. But I don’t know how far apart the two happened.)
Aleith|DM: You see him entering from the north entrance. A dwarf-like fey stands nearby.Phyllis . o O ( Simultaneously? Is it possible given this tunnel's strange architecturee? )Garrett‘ rubs his forehead. . o O (It’s really hard to tell. I wasn't expecting two answers to one question.)Garrett‘ . o O (Almost like it gave me both answers at the same time.)Garrett` . o O (Rock also entered the tunnel through the north entrance. There… was a dwarf- no, a fey that looked like a dwarf, nearby at the time.)Phyllis . o O ( I said it was time to be authors, didn’t I? And might that be the Borenbog? )Garrett‘ grins. . o O (Just further solidifying our case, I suppose.)
Aleith|DM: Last image?Phyllis . o O ( What if the scenario is the same as the routes in this tunnel? It’s a linear path once you travel it, but there are really two potential exits? )Phyllis . o O ( I don't mean that to be analogy. I mean literally. It isn't decided yet. )Garrett‘ . o O (It’d be nice if there was a tunnel exit where Rock stumbled out, yes.)Garrett‘ . o O (This is gonna be the greatest, okay, one second-Garrett` opens his eyes and looks at the tunnel. [Rock’s exit points out of the Krog Tunnel]
Aleith|DM: You see Rock disappearing into a knot of spidersilk the size of a bedsheet being held by an 'invisible' person in fancy clothes and wearing a tophat. Now, since the tunnel doesn't see the same way people do, you can tell that this person…you could call them Copperhat the Headless, even…has a tiny ettercap-like pixie inside. And note that this Rock was fully-dressed (though a bit mussed up) while the one that you saw shot and decapitated was actually quite naked.
Aleith|DM: …the knot of spidersilk looks remarkably like that absurdist's web Zane is still carrying around.
Aleith|DM: It's an odd detail, but there's some eggshells on the ground, too…Garrett‘ begins to chuckle, then laugh, then bend over backwards into a very brief cackle before straightening up.Gerald` raises an eyebrow at Garrett.
Chandrasekhar: "Share with the class?"
Aleith|DM: I should also note the fact that there was also a naked Rock on the ground while this Rock was being shoved into the web…Garrett` flashes a wild smile. "Of course he isn’t dead!"
Garrett: "Well, I mean, he -is-, but-"
Gerald: "knew it!"
Phyllis: "… I think that much was patently obvious from the beginning, given the vision that we saw before."
Phyllis: "We know how this ends."
Garrett: "He's in the custody of Copperhat the Headless, but-"
Gerald: "Well, I mean, the visions of the past and present were both fair embelleshed and also wrong, so who knows but."
Garrett: "Oh, man, this is an all new dimension to this."
Chandrasekhar: "Ahahahahaha, what."
Phyllis: "Welcome to the party."
Gerald: "…So, basically, the entire court was in on it and they were just looking for an excuse to throw down with the Hedge?"
Phyllis: "And to make an icon out of him."
Garrett: "Wait, shit, how long ago did he die?
Aleith|DM: Just over 22 days ago.Chandrasekhar laughs. "I've spent too long in the waking world, I should have expected… more of this."
Phyllis: "'Ostensibly' died. 22 days ago."
Gerald: "How does that matter? I thought the web thingie kept it, uh, fresh?"
Gerald: "Or wait, no, I'm thinking of Zane's pouch aren't I."
Garrett: "Yeah yeah, but-, here-"Garrett‘ has Zane produce the absurdist web. And then he goes looking for Rock Rackus in it.
Aleith|DM: You find an arm after several seconds of digging. It’s attached to the rest of a body.
Garrett: "Ta da!"Gerald‘ opens his mouth, closes his mouth, bursts into laughter.
Garrett: "No, no, wait-!"Garrett` puts Rock back into the web.
Garrett: "This is our chance."
Phyllis: "For what?"
Garrett: "We have to get our lines ready."
Garrett: "Everyone."
Garrett: "Costumes."
Garrett: "Theater."
Gerald: "Oh man."
Garrett: "We’re gonna put on a show for the court."
Garrett: "This is our chance to completely pull a miracle out of a hat for the Unseen Court."
Garrett: "And do so with -flair.-"
Chandrasekhar: "Goddess, they're never going to let you leave."
Phyllis: "Dare I ask why Copperhat did this?"
Aleith|DM: The light in the tunnel dims, and the noise from outside stops echoing down the tunnel.
Gerald: "Hehehehehehehe out of a hat -"
Aleith|DM: And then, seconds later, frigid seawater rushes down from both ends of the tunnel with intense pressure.Garrett` shrugs. "Causus belli for war with the Hedgehog-whatevers?"
Garrett: "-oh boy!!"